RUNNER’S KNEES

What is Runner’s Knee?

Runner’s Knee, or patellofemoral pain syndrome, is an umbrella term that describes an injury where you feel pain and discomfort in your knees. However, runner’s knee is not just for runners! It can happen to anyone that are doing activities which involve bending of the knees such as walking, biking, and jumping.

Symptoms of Runner’s Knees

The main symptom of runner’s knee is pain around your kneecap. The pain can be more prominent when your walk, squat, kneel, run or even get up from the chair or walk downhill/downstairs. You may also notice a popping or grinding feeling around knee and experience swelling.

    What Causes Runner’s Knees?

    Overuse of your knees such as doing repeated bending or high-stress exercises like lunges or plyometrics can cause runner’s knees. Other reasons why runner’s knees can occur are:

    1. A direct hit to the knee from a fall or blow
    2. Misalignment of your bones from anyone in your hips to your ankles can cause pain in your kneecap.
    3. Problems with your feet, such as:
      • Hypermobile feet (when the joints in and around the feet move more than they should).
      • Overpronating, which occurs when weight is transferred from the heel to the front of the foot and the foot rolls inwards more than normal.
      • Having flat feet
    4. Wearing improper shoes that do not provide the right support when exercising.
    5. Quadricep muscles that are underdeveloped or weak. The quadricep muscles in your thigh are responsible for keeping your kneecap stable when your bend or stretch. If these muscles are weak or tight, they may not be able to keep your kneecap in place.

    Treatments For Runner’s Knees

    The best treatment for runner’s knee is rest. Rest as much as possible and avoid activities that aggravate the pain, such as running, squatting, lunging, jumping. Ice your knees to alleviate swelling and pain for every 3-4 hours for 3-2 days.

    Another way to ease swelling is to elevate your leg by putting pillows underneath. For extra support, you can use sleeves or patellar straps to wrap your knee. You can use topical ointments intended for pain relief to supplement your treatment. If the pain does not go away, consult your doctor. Most likely, your doctor will recommend physiotherapy to strengthen and stretch your quadricep muscles.

    Different people heal at different rates and a lot of it depends on your body and the severity of the injury. Even if you feel better, it is wise to take it easy on your knees. Do not go back to rigorous physical as it can worsen your injury.

    How To Prevent Runner’s Knees

     

    • Develop the muscles in your thighs to be strong and limber with regular exercise
    • Use shoe inserts if you have flat feet or other problems with your foot
    • Ensure that your shoes have sufficient support and change shoes once they wear out and lose their shape
    • Maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise
    • Do not suddenly increase the intensity of your workout especially if you are squatting, deadlifting, lunging with weights.
    • Use a knee brace to support your knee if you had runner’s knee or other previous injuries

    1 Information was compiled from http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee#1

    RUNNER’S KNEES

    What is Runner’s Knee?

    Runner’s Knee, or patellofemoral pain syndrome, is an umbrella term that describes an injury where you feel pain and discomfort in your knees. However, runner’s knee is not just for runners! It can happen to anyone that are doing activities which involve bending of the knees such as walking, biking, and jumping.

    Symptoms of Runner’s Knees

    The main symptom of runner’s knee is pain around your kneecap. The pain can be more prominent when your walk, squat, kneel, run or even get up from the chair or walk downhill/downstairs. You may also notice a popping or grinding feeling around knee and experience swelling.

      What Causes Runner’s Knees?

      Overuse of your knees such as doing repeated bending or high-stress exercises like lunges or plyometrics can cause runner’s knees. Other reasons why runner’s knees can occur are:

      1. A direct hit to the knee from a fall or blow
      2. Misalignment of your bones from anyone in your hips to your ankles can cause pain in your kneecap.
      3. Problems with your feet, such as:
        • Hypermobile feet (when the joints in and around the feet move more than they should).
        • Overpronating, which occurs when weight is transferred from the heel to the front of the foot and the foot rolls inwards more than normal.
        • Having flat feet
      4. Wearing improper shoes that do not provide the right support when exercising.
      5. Quadricep muscles that are underdeveloped or weak. The quadricep muscles in your thigh are responsible for keeping your kneecap stable when your bend or stretch. If these muscles are weak or tight, they may not be able to keep your kneecap in place.

      Treatments For Runner’s Knees

      The best treatment for runner’s knee is rest. Rest as much as possible and avoid activities that aggravate the pain, such as running, squatting, lunging, jumping. Ice your knees to alleviate swelling and pain for every 3-4 hours for 3-2 days.

      Another way to ease swelling is to elevate your leg by putting pillows underneath. For extra support, you can use sleeves or patellar straps to wrap your knee. You can use topical ointments intended for pain relief to supplement your treatment. If the pain does not go away, consult your doctor. Most likely, your doctor will recommend physiotherapy to strengthen and stretch your quadricep muscles.

      Different people heal at different rates and a lot of it depends on your body and the severity of the injury. Even if you feel better, it is wise to take it easy on your knees. Do not go back to rigorous physical as it can worsen your injury.

      How To Prevent Runner’s Knees

       

      • Develop the muscles in your thighs to be strong and limber with regular exercise
      • Use shoe inserts if you have flat feet or other problems with your foot
      • Ensure that your shoes have sufficient support and change shoes once they wear out and lose their shape
      • Maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise
      • Do not suddenly increase the intensity of your workout especially if you are squatting, deadlifting, lunging with weights.
      • Use a knee brace to support your knee if you had runner’s knee or other previous injuries

      1 Information was compiled from http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee#1

      Contact Us

      Our Location

      100 Spy Court
      Markham, ON L3R 5H6,
      Canada

      Contact Us

      Our Location

      100 Spy Court
      Markham, ON L3R 5H6,
      Canada